xxi. fire spreads and pain blooms
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WARRIORS were quick in raising their weapons; shooting arrows and spears to the sky and letting them fly freely into the many aircrafts. Only the arrows and metal tipped spears did very little as they bounced off the metal, doing nothing to assist the aircrafts that threatened to destroy home free.

Neytiri lifted her own bow into the air and began firing alongside her cousin and father. In that brief moment, they felt as they could actually do damage to the RDA, and the aircraft's that were in front of them.

That was short lived, large missiles began being released from machines, the said misses heading right towards home tree. Explosions began, fire filling the bottom of home tree and spreading upwards quickly. The people screamed, whether it was in fear, or as they were being injured was unknown.

"No!" Odessa screamed in horror, her voice cracking as she eyed the fire that consumed home tree.

"Get every to the forest!" Eytukan demanded, waving his people and pointing towards the forest where they would hopefully be safe. The people started to retreat as commanded.

Neytiri stilled when she turned around to face the tree dream walkers. Her eyes landed on Odessa, who's body shook with sobs at the sight of her new home now gone. She could tell that she didn't want any of this to happen, yet she couldn't disobey what he father had wanted. So she ran, leaving the one who called her love behind. It pained her to do so, and Odessa could feel that pain.

"Neytiri."

Jake struggled against his restraints, "We gotta move! He's gonna blow up the columns!"

"My god!" Grace muttered, twisting her body with hopes that she would free herself.

Odessa turned her head, her body stilling as she chose to not fight against the ties she knew she couldn't get out of. Mo'at walked forward slowly, her body looking tired as held a dagger in her hand. She grabbed ahold of Odessas shoulder first, placing the dagger on the side of her neck.

"If you are one of us, help us." She begged, tears streaming down her face as she cut the ties that had just strung up Odessa.

Odessa tumbled from where she had been, her legs giving out as she fell to her knees. Seeing a child, one who was crying over a body that was sprawled among the ground, she forced herself to get up. She ran over, kneeling beside the young child, who couldn't have been more than five or six. The body they were crying over was dead, burns covering their body — they must have been to close to the base of home tree. "Hi, I'm Odessa."

"Help my dad, please." The little girl cried out, her hands staying on her father's shoulder as she shook him. She hadn't realized that he was gone, and that there wasn't anything anyone could do now. "Please."

Odessa nodded, and despite the body being ready for the earth, for Eywa to take, she hauled it up and over her shoulders. She figured if she took the body away from the tree that would blow any second, than the child would follow, and be safe. "Follow me, okay? Stay by my side, so I can get you and your father to safety." She hoped a small lie wouldn't hurt as much as telling the little girl that her father was dead, and leaving him behind.

"This way!" Odessa heard Jake call out to some of the Omaticaya people. That was the last of what Odessa herd from him before the missiles hit home tree. They flew trough the air, landing and creating huge explosions that forced anyone nearby to the ground.

Odessa and the little girl were pushed to the ground by the large gush of hot air that came from home tree. The little girl cried out, her hands scraping against rocks that were placed among the grass.

Approximately seven seconds. That what Odessa guessed before another explosion went off, and another hot gush of air pushed her further into the ground. She too cried out this time, her body aching.

Odessa shook her head. She couldn't focus on herself at a time like this. She had to make sure that little girl survived, even if it meant that she had to leave the dead body of the little girls father, and take her into her own arms.

The little girl was weak, tired, exhausted as she was lifted into Odessas arms. Her head hung, yet her chest continued to move at a steady pace.

Odessa moved quickly, the little girl in her arms moving slightly with every step she took. As she passed by more Na'vi who were hiding behind fallen logs, and trees that still stood, she waved them forward and told them that safety was just ahead.

Home tree collapsed, sending everyone to the ground one last time. Odessa hand managed to keep the little girl she held, tucked against her body, shielding her away from anything that could harm her. Grey smoke filled the air, ash and fire too. Home tree had collapsed, sending the aircraft's away with what they believed was a victory. What had once been her home for a short three months, was now gone.

As she stumbled forward, having stood up and continued to make her way to where she told everyone they would be safe, she came face to face with Neytiri and Niave. She almost wished she hadn't. What she didn't know, but could guess, was that Eytukan had fell to the ground after a blast, a piece of wood embedded into his chest. They were crying over his body.

"Daughters." Eytukan groaned, looking up at Neytiri and Niave. He saw his niece as his daughter too. "Take ... my bow. Protect the people."
His hand fell limp against the forest floor.

"Neytiri!" Odessa called out as she ran forward, watching with heartbreak as Neytiri and Niave sobbed over the body. "No."

Neytiri said something in the Na'vi before she wailed louder, her hands clutching the bow that had belonged to her father.

Odessa kept the little girl in her arms, reaching out and softly placing a hand in Neytiris shoulder. "I'm sorry, so so sorry."

Neytiri shot up, and moved away. "Get away." She cried before she shoved her bow towards them, slowing her movements momentarily when she saw the young girl in her mates arms. "Get away! Never come back."

Odessas eyes widened, yet knowing that Neytiri was mourning the loss of her father and home made her feel only a little bit better.

Just as Neytiri and Niave walked away she stepped forward. "Take her, please."

Niave turned around, ignoring her cousins burning gaze and gently lifted the young girl from Odessas arms.

🌍.

"PULL the plug." Parker said to the soldiers that stood behind him, everyone gathered together to see the damage that they had caused.

"No, you can't do that!" Norm shouted, taking steps forward and attempting to stop them.

"No!" Max yelled, running towards the pod.

"You can't do that!" A woman shouted.

"Calm down! Calm down!" A soldier quickly pinned Norm. Yet he was which to shout out a plead before he lifted his fist and punched one of the soldiers in the face. He had managed to covered the monitor for Graces pod, but more soldiers surrounded him and pulled him away.

The one Norm hand punched moved to the monitor and pressed the big red cancel button, shutting off the first pod then moving into the second then third.

🌍.

ODESSA stood beside Grace, having found her but not Jake. She walked beside them and many surviving Omaticaya people.

Grace collapse first, her body landing on the ash covered forest floor with a thud. The people all stopped, moving towards Grace who didn't even twitch.

Then a minute later, Odessa fell too. Her body crashing down. 

🌍.

ODESSA tiredly opened her eyes as the lid to her pod opened up. Her vision was blurry, but she could see many soldiers surrounding her. She couldn't her them, the only thing she could hear was the screams of pain and sadness she had heard from the Omaticaya people.

"Nothing lasts right? These dreams we have, sometime we have to wake up and realize that it's just what our mind creates."

🌍 🌍
╰ authors note

ps. niave is actually named after my dog, nieve. figured i could switch a letter so it sounded much more na'vi!